One down, many to go....

I have officially completed my first doctorate class (800). It was a lot more work than I realized, but also I learned a lot more than I expected. In many ways it was much more difficult than I expected. However, I also think I could have gotten away with doing a lot less work. I'm happy with the outcome, I believe I have a good focus on where I want to go research wise.

And then there were none

A lot of good and bad has happened in the last month. On the positive side, I am very proud to say that I performed very well on the last two papers (abstracts to follow soon). I am a little surprised with how much I struggled in 600, but also very proud of my performance. Especially given where I place myself in the class, it's a nice feeling to be performing at such a high level.

The last step now will be to sit for the comprehensive exam next weekend. It's pass/fail and does not impact our grade, so that takes a lot of stress of me. However, it is a very intense 24 hour exam.

On a very sad note, one of my classmates who I was quite close with dropped the class. I completely understand his reasons, but it was still very upsetting. I was mostly angry at the program for not engaging him and making him want to say. I know they tried, but I think the issues were far more fundamental.